In Wake of U.S. Global War on Terror, International Terrorist Attacks Have Quadrupled since 9/11

If the United States’ war on terror was intended to curb terrorist attacks, then it has failed to meet its goal.

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, terrorism incidents worldwide have actually gone up, from 982 in 2002 to 4,564 in 2011, according to a new study from the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Fatalities resulting from terrorism also have increased, although they peaked five years ago and have been on a downward trend since. In 2002, more than 3,800 people died due to terrorist attacks, climbing to 7,473 deaths last year, 25% less than in 2010.

“After 9/11, terrorist activity fell back to pre-2000 levels until after the Iraq invasion, and has since escalated dramatically,” Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, told Reuters.

"Iraq accounts for about a third of all terrorist deaths over the last decade, and Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan account for over 50 percent of fatalities,” Killelea added.

International terrorists have caused fatal attacks in 29 countries. The United States is not included in this total because all of the deadly terrorist attacks committed inside the country since 2001 have been carried out by Americans.